The Competition
by Bumble
Summary: This is a story I started around a year ago and never finished but I like it. Eventually it will be a K/N romance(I hope) but nothing yet so don't et your hopes up!


The Competition  
  
At the beginning of Kel's squire training. NB. I wrote this before reading Squire about a year ago.  
  
DISCLAIMER- NOTHING BELONGS 2 ME ALL HAIL TP!  
  
Chapter 1~ Doubts  
  
"What?!" Raoul had just named two of the things she had hoped to avoid by becoming his squire, not that she'd had much choice in the matter it was either Raoul or Gareth of Naxen. Gareth was kind and meant well but he was a desk knight, exactly what Raoul had seemed to be suggesting for her.  
  
"I know what you're thinking, I'm not trying to stop you actively fighting but it's 3rd company's turn to guard the palace and we might as well make use of all these scholars sitting around doing nothing!" Raoul explained, "and anyway we still have to protect the Royal Forest."  
  
"I suppose so," she conceded, looking around the room he had brought her to. She couldn't imagine herself sitting here being bored to death while her friends were fighting bandits and securing borders like she wanted to.  
  
The door swung open with a gust of wind and in strode a man who was taller even than Raoul. He had black hair, black eyes and skin so deeply tanned as to be almost brown. The black robe he wore unbuttoned over his plain shirt and breeches trailed behind him. Following him Kel saw a pale skinned woman in her mid-twenties. The woman winked at her as she pushed her tightly curled brown hair out of her face. Kel recognised Daine and her fiancé Numair. It was a month since they had announced their engagement but it seemed like two seconds to Kel.  
  
"I came to save you from his intellectual ramblings, it's his second favourite topic!" Daine joked.  
  
"What? He's not teaching me courtly manners surely??" Daine giggled at Kel,  
  
"No, silly! He's going to teach you about the history of Lady knights."  
  
"Goddess!" Kel paused, "When can we start?"  
  
"You've got to wait for your partner in crime!"  
  
Kel furrowed her brows, "Who's that?"  
  
"You'll find out soon enough." Daine answered smugly.  
  
"See." Raoul commented, "You might even enjoy it." Numair laughed because although Kel still didn't show her emotions openly she let her eyes shine with amusement.  
  
"I'm looking forward to teaching you and your Royal counterpart." He told her.  
  
"Huh??" Kel's question was answered when the door opened and in came Princess Kalasin. Daine ran up to the princess and gave her a hug.  
  
"Kally! I haven't seen you in ages!"  
  
"I know, it's been nearly a year now! Congratulations by the way!" Daine obviously knew Kalasin. It reminded Kel of a conversation Daine and her friend Neal the very first time they had met. Again she felt the outsider as the conversation continued. It wasn't that they weren't including her in their conversation but she didn't know the people they were talking about. Finally Kalasin turned to Kel.  
  
"How's my brother doing?" she asked, "I bet you see more of Roald than I do!"  
  
"I probably do Highness." Kel knew all about not being able to see her brothers, it had been very weird at first when Cleon had been her brother Iness's squire.  
  
"He's getting on well. I think he's a bit nervous about the engagement but that's only to be expected Ma'am." Kel explained.  
  
"Does Roald like to be called "Your Highness" or "Sire"?" Kalasin demanded, "no? Well neither do I. If we're going to have lessons together we might as well get on, after all I'm only a year older than you, our generation of females should stick together don't you think." As an after thought she added, "Call me Kally."  
  
Kel was confused, wasn't that just what she was here to learn, etiquette and manners and all those boring things that she hated. It was going to be just like on the islands, boredom that she knew she had to accept. Etiquette was important.  
  
"Kel can you come here please?" Raoul asked. She sighed and walked over to him." It won't be that bad you wait; there'll be Kalasin and Daine. You like Daine don't you?" she nodded gently, "I thought so. Don't worry about it, Numair's a good teacher, believe me I've had lessons from him!" /Kel gaped at him, "yep," he said, "it was fun."  
  
"I suppose I'll se you later?"  
  
"Mm-hmm, you'll find out where your next lessons are soon enough, oh! And make sure you get to the mess hall on time tonight there's a surprise waiting for you all" and with that, he left.  
  
Kel barely had time to digest this before Numair tapped her on the shoulder, "You'd best follow me my dear." He told her. Kel shrugged and followed obediently.  
  
  
  
  
  
Right, first of all I want to say that I'm not going to talk about Alanna. You probably know as much about her as I do, maybe even more knowing palace gossip and it wouldn't really be fair to spread rumours about the intricate details of her personal life, interesting as it may be!" Numair explained as Kel looked around the old library he had brought them to. It seemed to be just like any other palace room full of dusty old books, except it wasn't. Instead of being dusty, cramped and artificially tidy it was warm, cosy and slightly cluttered. There was one change to the furnishings. The hard wooden desks and stiff seats had been replaced by fluffy armchairs you could sink deep into and special trays that were held in just the right place for you to write on at that moment. At least that was how it seemed to Kel as she doodled away on her parchment listening to Numair talk about 320HE when lady knights were commonplace. It was quite interesting really. Kel found herself laughing at his jokes. His two-hour lesson seemed over in minutes.  
  
Kally came to see Kel before she left. "Can I see?" She asked gesturing towards Kel's picture  
  
"Er, yeah?" the squire consented, curious.  
  
"Wow!" Kally exclaimed, "Whose dog is it?"  
  
"He used to be a palace stray but I suppose he's mine now. He's called Jump."  
  
"Have you ever drawn a portrait?" the princess asked.  
  
"No, not really," Kel was starting to feel nervous; after all she had only been doing a rough sketch while she listened to Numair. "You can have it if you want."  
  
"If you don't mind I will."  
  
"Boo!" Kel jumped out of her skin. She hadn't seen Daine creep up behind her. After a few seconds she joined in with Daine and Kally's laughter. When they'd calmed down Daine sighed. "I'd best come with you to mistress Rumford's. Gods!" She shuddered, "I remember my first time there."  
  
This time Kel shuddered. "What's she teaching me?" she asked suspiciously  
  
"Etiquette and dress." Daine replied.  
  
"Oh no!" That was what she was least looking forward to learning. Never mind she thought with an ominous sigh, I wonder what Raoul was talking about that's coming at dinner tonight?  
  
  
  
  
  
Kel sighed as she slipped into the warm water of the women's baths. This was just what she needed to soothe her aching toes that she had been stubbing constantly while practising different kinds of curtsey for Mistress Rumford.  
  
I wish Raoul had come right out and told me what was going to happen tonight she thought as she soaped herself. I can never concentrate on any thing when he drops annoying hints like that. She dried herself and sighed, after suffering Mistress Rumford that afternoon she really couldn't be bothered to wear a dress for dinner. So she donned a fresh shirt and breeches.  
  
Making her way to the mess hall Kel was disappointed. Whatever it was that was about to happen she wouldn't share it with her friends among the squires, they were all out with their knight masters. Sighing she entered ready to sit on her own again.  
  
Her heart leapt when she saw sitting at their normal table were Cleon, Roald, Faleron, Merric and Seaver. Only her Yamani training kept her from jumping for joy. She grabbed her food as fast as she could and sat down quickly. "What are you doing here?" She asked, "You're not supposed to be back until midwinter."  
  
"We came to see you my petal!" Kel groaned, Cleon's old joke was getting very boring.  
  
"Actually none of us know why we're here the masters just told us to get down here on time tonight!" For some reason Neal had been under the table. She made a mental not e to ask him later but for now that was too organised. She wanted to get up and hug each on e of them in turn but she knew she couldn't, the boys would think she'd gone completely soft and forgotten all her Yamani training.  
  
Kel listened to the others as they related their experiences with their knight masters. Neal had certainly been kept busy with the lioness, what with healing, fighting and more healing they hadn't stopped. Cleon had been having a fairly quiet time around Mindelan with Inness. He told Kel that Anders and her nieces and nephews sent their love. Kel wasn't sure but she thought she saw a fleeting expression of indecision on his face as he relayed the message but a moment later she didn't think so any more.  
  
Owen of Jesslaw was now squire to Lord Imrah of Legann and he was fiercely proud of it. Owen's tales of his master's bravery were getting taller and taller. First of all Imrah had beaten an 8ft giant on horseback, then the giant was 9ft and the knight riding bareback, next the giant was 12ft tall and Lord Imrah had been on foot. Kel laughed at her enthusiastic friend and told Neal to eat his vegetables.  
  
"I haven't had to do that for months now, he told her. "I'm starting to wonder why I bothered to come back here," he said with a glint in his eyes.  
  
"Because the lioness told you you had to! And you're losing your touch my friend."  
  
"What?" Roald ha been his usual quiet self until that point.  
  
"Sarcasm." Kel replied, "The lioness must be beating it out of you."  
  
"I've got enough…" Neal started before Kel slapped her hand over his mouth and pulled him to his feet.  
  
"The Stump!" She hissed, and indeed the training master lord Wyldon was standing on the dais ready to say their daily prayer.  
  
"Glad to see so many of you here!" He said in a cheerful way that Kel had never seen in him before. Kel dropped her hand quickly; Neal's face was getting hot. "Mithros," Wyldon had started his prayer, "May we work hard too reach our goals but not be jealous of those who reach them before us." There was a clatter as the pages and squires sat down.  
  
"What was that all about?" Wondered Faleron, voicing what they had all been thinking. They ad learnt early as pages that the training master's prayers usually had some reasoning behind them. Why not Kel had thought, it must get boring trying to think up something different each day.  
  
"I bet they're going to lock us up in separate rooms and throw away he keys and we have to not be jealous of the people who get out before us!" Owen's overactive imagination was off again.  
  
  
  
  
  
Kel set up the wooden disk to take a few runs at to warm up. Then she went to groom Peachblossom. Her bay gelding knew immediately that something was wrong with his mistress, after all it was 5 years since the quiet, Yamani like girl had rescued him from cart - work. Indeed Kel was still worried about the competition. No matter how many times she tried to shove it back in her mind the challenge kept springing forwards again.  
  
Squire Keladry mounted her large pony and trotted into the practice ground. There was nobody else around yet so Kel kept charging towards the circle of woven willow that bobbed in the breeze. Kel had always found that physical exercise cleared her mind and helped her to think freely. She was starting to feel this calming effect when she heard a movement behind her.  
  
"Kel?" she heard Neal's normally assertive voice behind her.  
  
"Yes," she called turning to face him.  
  
"Would you mind jousting with me?"  
  
"Of course I wouldn't." Raoul had been teaching her to tilt against a person, namely himself, for the past year. "Have you got padding and coromanels?"  
  
"No not yet, I wasn't sure if you'd want to tilt." He told her.  
  
"Why ever not?" She asked as they went to collect the equipment they needed. "And I wouldn't have thought that you liked jousting, kit's not really your line is it?" She joked; Neal was notorious for his dislike of the fighting arts.  
  
"Well I was told you only ever tilted against my lord Raoul, and as for jousting, it's starting to grow on me!"  
  
"I've never tilted against anyone but my lord because nobody else has ever asked to joust against me." She paused, thinking, "How shall we do this? We've got no one to start us off."  
  
"We normally count to three." He supplied.  
  
"One, two, three!"  
  
Kel gave Peachblossom the command to gallop straight at Neal. Watching him carefully she hit him with her lance and gave it a flick levering him out of the saddle just like Raoul had taught her to do. The move had never worked on him so Kel was amazed that he was rising in the air then falling. She dismounted quickly, astounded at her own strength, and rushed over to him.  
  
"Are you all right?" She asked, concerned.  
  
"I'm numb but I'm used to that by now with my lovely knight mistress! Do all you females have to land me on my backside?" He questioned her sarcastically.  
  
"I've never shifted anyone before." She admitted.  
  
"Well you wouldn't if you've only run against Goldenlake. He was the last one to stay on against the stump!"  
  
"Yeah but how come I got you off first time?"  
  
"Stop worrying about how you did it and just be pleased that you did!" He told her exasperated.  
  
Kel sighed wondering if anyone else was about yet. Just because she'd unseated Neal that didn't mean that she could do the same to everyone. Turning she saw Cleon and Faleron with their horses ready to joust.  
  
"We'd better get out the way." she said hauling him to his feet by the hand he'd been waving at her for some time. His eyes shone briefly then stopped as abruptly as they had started. They turned and lead their horses to the edge of the ring then sat on the fence. The two squires watched as first Faleron's lance broke then Cleon's. On their third run it was Faleron's turn to take flying lessons. When the boys returned to sit with Neal and Kel Faleron had an idea.  
  
"Why don't we have a mini tournament, you know all tilt against each other and see who wins the most."  
  
"That's a great idea!" Kel agreed. She jumped down from the fence and wrote each of their names in the sand on the floor of the arena. "Every time you win you get a mark next to your name." She told them marking her name and Cleon's.  
  
By the end of their tournament Kel had won all her matches and had three marks beside her name, surprisingly Neal came second and Cleon third with Faleron rather annoyed that he had suggested the competition having come last and been sent flying three times!  
  
As the four friends rode up the hill to the stables Kel's mind wandered back to the competition. Maybe I should enter, she thought. I'd prove to them that I don't mind a challenge, even if I don't win. I should probably talk to Raoul about it. The comforting thought of discussing things with her kindly knight master set her worries to rest.  
  
Let me know if I should finish this, I'm not sure. 


End file.
